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NEW DELHI: Ishan Kishan spoke about an emotional family tragedy that was driving him during his match-winning knock as Sunrisers Hyderabad sealed their IPL 2026 playoff berth with a five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday.Kishan’s composed 70 off 47 balls anchored SRH’s chase of 181, but after the game, the left-hander said the innings meant far more than just qualification. His cousin, dealing with a recent family bereavement, was in the stands watching — and Kishan said that became his motivation.“Sometimes I feel it’s also about motivation, and for me, my motivation was today, my cousin is just standing there. He lost his sister. It was a tough time in our family and they are watching the match for the first time here,” Kishan said.“So I just wanted to finish the game for them. I’m glad they were here to witness this innings, and I was able to finish this game.”An innings built on patienceKishan said the challenge at Chepauk became clear even while he was behind the stumps, with the surface offering enough grip and variable bounce to make the chase tricky.“When I was wicketkeeping, I just felt this wicket is not easy. I still felt chasing this total is going to be a bit too much because the wicket was not at all easy, especially when spinners were bowling and those slow balls working out very well,” he said.Batting at No. 3, Kishan knew his role was to stay till the end.“My job was to just try and finish the game because batters coming in, especially at the back end, it’s difficult for them to take singles and score boundaries. So I had to just play till the last over.”His 75-run partnership with Heinrich Klaasen turned the chase. Yet Kishan said there was no grand tactical discussion between them.“There was no conversation to be had. We both were just playing our shots.”‘I had that sense of power’What stayed with Kishan throughout was a feeling he could not fully explain.“I was just feeling blessed from upstairs. I had that sense of power, like, yes, I can do it if I’m there for the team. We will qualify and especially, he’ll be happy about it.”SRH captain Pat Cummins praised Kishan and Klaasen for reading conditions perfectly, calling the pitch “pretty tough” and saying the duo “chose their match-ups and played some ridiculous shots.”The win not only kept SRH’s momentum alive but also secured qualification alongside Gujarat Titans. For Kishan, though, the night at Chepauk was deeply personal — a knock for family, grief and healing, wrapped inside one of SRH’s most important wins of the season.
